“I am still struggling but if I can shine a light on the issue of pain, PTSD and the things men and women do to mask it, I will do.

“I am speaking about this because this is a huge issue for so many people.”

Leeds-born Mel, who says she has been “financially battered” following her split from US producer Belafonte, 43, is determined to get well for the sake of her children Phoenix, 19, Angel, 11, and Madison, six.

She has also begun a pioneering psychotherapy course called EMDR - Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing.

CRACKING ON

STRIFE GIRLS

“She was with the artist Danny Lopes for a few months and some Corsican guy who is a regular.

“Aaron was very nice, but it lasted about a week.

"I got 20 phone calls from her about him - he would come and go from her place - then all of a sudden he was out of the picture.”

Mel's statement

“The past six months have been incredibly difficult for me.

I’ve been working with a writer on my book, Brutally Honest, and it has been unbelievably traumatic reliving an emotionally abusive relationship and confronting so many massive issues in my life from the death of my dad to my relationship with men.

I've also been through more than a year of court battles which have left me finacially battered and at the mercy of the legal system which is ocmpletely weighted against emotionally abused women because it's very hard to prove how someone took away all your self-respect and self-worth.

I am being very honest in my book about drinking to numb my pain but that is just a way a lot of people mask what is really going on.

Sometimes it is too hard to cope with all the emotions I feel. But the problem has never been about sex or alcohol — it is underneath all that.

I have recently been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and on August 9, after trying many different therapies I started a course of therapy called EMDR (eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing) which in a nutshell works on the memory to deal with some of the very painful and traumatic situations I have been through.

I don’t want to jinx it, but so far it’s really helping me. I am fully aware I am at a crisis point.

No-one knows myself better than I do. But I am dealing with it. I love my three girls more than life itself.

I have also made the decision to go into a proper therapy programme in the next few weeks, but it has to be in the UK because I am very, very British and I know that will work best for me.

I am still struggling. But if I can shine a light on the issue of pain, PTSD and the things men and women do to mask it, I will do.

I am speaking about this because this is a huge issue for so many people.

I’m not perfect, and I have never pretended to be.

But I am working on being a better version of myself for my kids, for my family and for all the people who have supported me in my life."

Spices Girls to reunite

MEL B will have help with her reported £1.2million in legal fees — she is set for a bumper payday after agreeing a reunion tour with the Spice Girls, the Sun on Sunday can reveal.

The group will reunite for 13-date UK tour next year, culminating with three nights at Wembley Stadium.

Victoria Beckham will not be performing with her former bandmates. Instead it will be left to Mel, plus Geri Horner, Emma Bunton and Melanie Chisholm to take to the stage.

Music mogul Simon Fuller is masterminding the comeback, and it stands to net the girls around £12million each should the tour be a sell-out.

A source said: “After much to’ing and fro’ing, a deal has been signed, and an official announcement will be made soon.

“The girls can’t wait to go back on tour, perform to the fans and sing some of their greatest hits.”

The group were previously tipped to reform as a quintet after they got together at Geri’s house earlier this year.